WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to extend the federal eviction moratorium past Saturday when it’s set to expire.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the pause on evictions until July 31 and said it expected that to be the last extension.
However, with coronavirus case rates increasing due to the growing dominance of the more transmissible delta variant, advocates and some lawmakers
want the moratorium to last longer.
The White House said in a statement Thursday that Biden would want the CDC to issue another extension, but the Supreme Court has “made clear that this option is no longer available,” and Congress has the authority to pass legislation to extend the moratorium.
“In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the president calls on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay,” wrote Press Secretary Jen Psaki in the statement.
Additionally, Biden has asked the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs to extend their eviction moratoria through September to provide protection for households living in federally insured, single-family properties.
“The president has also asked these and other departments to do everything in their power so that owners and operators of federally-assisted and financed rental housing seek emergency rental assistance to make themselves whole while keeping families in secure and safe housing – before moving toward eviction,” wrote Psaki.
Biden is also urging states and localities to accelerate their efforts to disburse emergency rental assistance funds to those who need them.
“The administration remains committed to doing everything in its power to keep people safely and securely housed, which is essential to the health, well-being and dignity of all of us,” Psaki wrote.
The eviction moratorium has been in place in the U.S. over the course of the pandemic and has helped prevent struggling renters from being kicked out of their homes in the event that they can’t pay their rent.
